Underneath the Cherry Blossom Tree
by Sailorprincess3234
Summary: Sasuke left Konoha and left Sakura completely heart broken. Some years past and Sakura finds a new love with an unexpected man. What will happen when Sasuke returns, this time expressing his love for Sakura? SasukexSakuraxItachi R
1. The Encounter

Author's note: Hey! This is another Itachi and Sakura (with a bit of Sasuke of course) fanfic I'm doing. Quite honestly I'm really developing a liking to the parring despite the fact that it's NEVER going to happen in either the manga or anime. But a girl can dream can't she? Since "Sakura's Admire" is such a huge success, I'm sure that all of you will love this fanfic. It's a bit more mature as far as the plot goes...and I'm not going to give away too much...but this is turning out to be one of my favorite Itachi x Sakura fanfic. I hope you like it just as much. Oh and a bit of a warning for you Sasuke and Sakura fans...I made Sasuke a HUGE jerk in the beginning. Don't kill me for that! Don't forget to leave a comment. NO FLAMES!! I'm looking for at least 10 or more...before I put up the next chappie. Ok...enough of my chatting...besides the fact that you came here to read, I have to get ready for work! Ja Ne mina!

Disclaimer: If I owned Naruto...there wouldn't be any fillers for the episodes. I hate fillers.

Underneath the Cherry Blossom Tree

_By Sailorprincess3234_

_**Chapter one: The Encounter**_

"_Don't go Sasuke-kun! Please...Please don't leave me like this!" Sakura begged and pleaded as tears upon tears rolled down her cheeks. Sasuke who stood about 3 feet in front of her had his back towards her, ignoring her. He closed his eyes trying to block out her pleads. She truly was making it impossible for him to take even one step forward! He tighten his fist which hung loosely at his sides. His patience was slowly slipping by the second._

"_I told you...I'm an avenger...my sole purpose is to to gain power to kill that man. This village is holding me back and I don't want to waste my time here anymore!" He said in a low even tone not looking back._

_The cool midsummer's breeze brushed against the two teenagers. Neither one said a word but the tension was so thick that it could be sliced in half with a knife. Although it was not cold...Sakura felt this uncontrollable shiver running up and down her spine. The situation was so surreal...that it must have been a dream. A terrible dream in which she desperately wanted to get out of. However much to her distaste...it was nothing close to being a dream. It was a nightmare. The one person that she truly loved was leaving...and not for any good reason. He was planning on going to the one person who nearly crushed their village two months prior! She couldn't fully understand his reason and quite frankly she couldn't care. All she ever wanted was to be by his side._

"_I understand." She said quietly as she took a conscious step forward...as if she were walking on thin ice. "But..." She continued in a soft tone...so soft that it was barely audible. "Take me with you. Let me help you...I...I don't know what I could do but...Sasuke-kun...I love you...and if you leave...then I don't know what I would do!" She cried out the last sentence as more tears rolled down her creamy colored cheeks._

"_Train more. That's what you could do." He said in a serious tone. He turned his head slightly to look back at her. "You're too weak" He said with a smirk and without mercy._

_Those last few words...to her...was almost like someone taking a kuni knife and stabbing it through her chest. Not once...but over and over and over again. Her mouth opened as she felt the sensation of her heart jumping to her throat. It felt as if it were tied up in knots...like all her strength was zapped away from her._

"_Sasuke-kun..." She started in a very small voice but was brutally cut off by a now angered Uchiha._

"_Enough!" He snapped in anger as he disappeared. In less then a second he reappeared behind her. Sakura gasped at the sudden movement. Her eyes widen not knowing what to expect._

"_Please don't leave me." She quietly pleaded again but to no avail. Her requests and pleads...her out pouring affections...all fell upon deaf ears._

"_Sakura." He said in a low voice as he lowered his head to her ear. His hot breath tickled her neck sending a warm shutter through out her whole body. She instantly tensed up as he began to speak again._

"_You are still annoying after all this time." Before she could open her mouth to react, he struck her unconscious. Her limp body fell to the cold concrete ground where it remained the rest of the night..._

A pair of emerald green eyes shot open only to be met with the bare white ceiling. She sat up on her bed...in a cold sweat and hyperventilating. She turned to her clock to check the time. It was only 2:30 in the morning. The nightmare that she had was still fresh in her mind. Although...truth be told it was no nightmare. In fact, it's been 7 years since that incident and since that time he never returned. Attempts to look for him had long been forgotten. Even Naruto gave up any hopes in finding him. So...she left it upon herself to do all that she could to bring him back. Since that day she devoted her life to training and becoming stronger...to prove to him as well as herself that she was not weak...and to show him how far she would go just to be by his side...to show how much she really did love him.

It wasn't long that her breathing returned to normal. She laid back down and stared at the ceiling. Even if she tried, she knew that she couldn't go back to sleep. She muttered a curse under her breath as she turned to her side and not even a moment later returned to laying down her back. She released an agitated sigh as she closed her eyes.

"I can't sleep!" She whispered to herself as she sat up. She looked at the clock again. To be honest, it wasn't that bad. She normally woke up at about 3:30am or 4am to do some training before work. So what if she started an hour sooner? With that thought resolved, she got up and walked to her closet. She rummaged through her closet looking for something to wear. It wasn't long before She pulled out a pair of gray sweat paints, a pink t-shirt and a gray hoodie with white sneakers. She didn't rush to get dressed. She took a warm shower and slowly pulled her cloths on. She didn't eat too much but just enough so that she wouldn't starve. All together it took her about 20-30 minutes to get ready.

As she stepped outside, she closed the door behind her. It was a bit chilly out and there was a bit of fog in the air. She took in a deep breath of the crisp fall air. She didn't know why, but fall was her favorite time of year. Be it the leaves changing colors or the smell of fire burning in a fire place...or maybe it the memories she had of baking apple and pumpkin pie with her mom on the weekends. Whatever it was...it comforted her. She took her time walking to her training spot. It was located along the boarder of the village...any further and she would be out of the village.

While she walked she appreciated the difference between now and the time when the village was busy and people were up and about. It was so peaceful and quite...

It wasn't long before she reached the training ground. She wasted no time in starting her warm ups and training decided to focus a little on her Taijtsu and Ninjtsu but mostly is was her Ninjtsu...probelly it was the one thing that regardless of how much training she committed herself to...she just never seemed to prefect this area as much as she wanted to. Not that she hadn't gotten stronger...in fact...she has. Next to Tsunade she was one of the top medical ninjas in the village as well as a jounin. Most of her friends right now were jounin's and a few were also on the anbu squad. Also Naruto was very close to having his life long dream actually being fulfilled. Tsunade had openly acknowledge that in a few years time she would step down and the title of Hokage would without a doubt be given to Naruto.

Besides that, Sakura was also one of the most wanted Kunoichi in Konoha. Everywhere she went she would have guys trail her down. Yet to each and everyone she turned them down as if she were already taken...and in her heart she strongly believed that.

Her friends would always nag her with questions such as "You really should move on...", "He betrayed the village and you...", or her favorite "Are you crazy?" Short. Sweet. And to the point. Of course she always gave the same reply and then some where off in the distance rolled her eyes at how simple minded some people could actually be. There were very few times though where she actually wondered if they were right. It was a rare moment when her mind came to mere thought. However, most of the time she brushed away the thought and allowed her determination to just drive her to push further and grow stronger.

After sometime, Sakura completed her training breathing heavily in and out. It was a good training...but as always she wasn't quite satisfied. She truly wondered is she ever would be. Regardless, she grabbed a bottle of water that she brought with her and as if it were a tradition, walked over to what she considered to be a sacred spot. Everyday after her training she would go there to think about him, her life and her accomplishments so far. The cherry blossom tree had always been her favorite tree. Not because they shared the same name, but because it always seemed to hold this gracefulness and strength about it and when it bloomed in the fall...oh how she would never get enough of the smell. This tree in particular was by far her favorite. It was huge and what's more is that not too far off in the distance was a beautiful stream with wild flower of all kinds just growing everywhere.

It wasn't too long before she finally got there. However, unlike other times something was not right. Since she was far out from the village it was very rare for anyone to come this far...and not to mention that THIS little spot was outside of the village by just a few yards. She swallowed hard, not knowing what to expect. The stranger was slumped over...she didn't know if they were dead or alive...dangerous or harmless...a comrade or an enemy. She wouldn't allow her guard to be down but at the same time she couldn't help but to draw closer out of curiosity. Slowly she inched her way towards the person and soon enough realized that it was actually a man. He hadn't moved since she approached him.

She was now only 6 feet away from him...surely he would have sensed her by now...even if he were sleeping. She never knew of any ninja...even if they were sleeping...to let their guards down...especially since it appeared that he was actually alone. She dared herself to take a closer inspection. Upon doing so...that's when she realized the reason he hadn't moved or at least show that his guards were up. The smell of blood filled the air around him. On looks alone he looked dead. However Sakura knew that looks alone couldn't determine wither or not a person was alive or dead. Whatever the case and whoever he was, she need to preform an emergency assessment and healing. She didn't even waste a second as she rushed over to his side. Slowly she lowered his back to the ground for him to lay down. It was then that she got a good look at his face. She gasped in horror.

_'Sa...Sa...Sasuke-kun???'_ She thought to herself with widen eyes. Upon closer inspection she realized that she was wrong. Although he looked very much like him...it wasn't him. This guy had a distinctive mark along both sides of his nose...like...crease marks under both eyes. She breathed a sigh of relief and at the same time felt sadden that it wasn't him.

She checked for a pulse and breathing which was sure enough there...faint...but still there. She looked over the man to see what was wrong. She noticed that there was a huge blood stain along the upper right side of his abdomen. She used her chakra to cut his shirt open to better inspect the area. When she got a better look at the cut, she noticed that it was very deep and judging by the and color of his skin, he lost a lot of blood. Without hesitation, she tore a piece of his shirt and ran to the streams the wet it. When she came back, she made sure to clean the wound as best as she could. She didn't have much medication on hand but after checking her bag, she was thankful enough to find a small bottle of peroxide...she was always prepared just in cause she need it for her self. Once she finished cleaning his wound, green chakra was glowing in both hands as she placed it over the wound to close it up. Upon further inspecting him, she found out that he had a few internal damages that were minor as well as a complete fracture just above his elbow. She did the best that she could to fix these problems...however...she knew that there was a limited amount that she could do right there and considering that he lost so much blood he was definitely not in the clear. The best she could do considering the situation was to bring him back to her place and care for him there.

To someone else, it would have made sense for her to take him to the hospital rather then to her house. Yet there were two reasons why she choose the latter rather then taking him to the hospital. First, Next to Tusande, she was the head doctor in the hospital. Being that she wasn't in the hospital and she had a lot of the needed supplies at home, it wouldn't make sense for her to go there. Second, it would be a wast of her time to take him there since it was clear across town and she was only about 10 minutes walking distance from her house. She nodded her head in agreement with the prior thought. With that, she gathered her things and picked up the man and rushed home.

She was some what surprised that she reached the house in no time. She opened the door while still carrying him and walked over to the guest room where she placed him gently on the bed. He was still unconscious the whole time...and she figured due to his injuries...that he would be for the next couple of days. She sighed deeply as she looked down at him. The moonlight that reflected off his face portrayed an innocent picture of him...though she doubted that he was. Her eyes narrowed as she studied his features. He did have such a strong resemblance to the man she once loved. It was so...uncanny...but she also felt that she had met him somewhere before. She reached out her hand and softly traced her fingers along the permanent birthmark that was so unique to him. His skin was soft and smooth despite the few scratches that he had across his face. She stayed that way for a few moments...staring at him and tracing her fingers along his birthmark.

Just then...something completely unexpected happen. She felt a strong grip around her wrist. Her eyes widen in surprise and shock as she looked down at the hand that was wrapped firmly around his wrist and back up to the eyes that were now opened...staring up at her with such intensity. Now that his eyes were opened and he was looking at her, she could see despite the lack of light, that they held the same depth and intensity as Sasuke's. They were dark like his and made this man in front of her look so much like him, that her stomach was doing flips. She once again looked down at her wrist and then made eye contact with him once again. He didn't say one word the whole time and she suddenly felt an uneasy feeling sweeping over her. She didn't know what to expect now...the whole situation was so unpredictable. Her breathing became a little more fast paced but despite her inner feelings she remained calm and collected on the outside. The last thing that she wanted was to make it appear that she was afraid...she needed to keep her guard up...no matter what. With that thought in mind, she straighten herself up and returned the intense look that he was giving her.

They stayed like that for a few moments, neither on exchanging words...but the look that they were giving each other said more then words could say...as if they were having some sort of silent conversation...as if they understood each other. Yet again he surprised her by releasing his grip on her wrist. She pulled it back and with her other hand graped her wrist...pulling it close to her chest. All the while she never looked away from him. She saw as he slowly made an attempt to sit up and that's when her medical instincts kicked in.

"Don't move." She said softly yet firmly as she place her hand on his shoulder and gently pushed him back down. "You're not in a position to do so." He looked at her with a questioning look...a simple look that asked a thousand questions...all with out saying a word. "I found you half dead. I'm a medical ninja and took you back to my place to further treat your wounds since I couldn't do so on the spot." She sighed deeply as she took a step back. "For the next couple of days try not to move as you still have some internal damages. As soon as those two days are over, you are free to leave." She smiled softly to him as she turned around she walked over to a table not to far from the bed. The man's eyes followed her as she walked to the table and back towards him...this time with a needle in hand. Before he had time to react, she made her way towards him and stuck the needle in his arm. His face sort of flinched at that slight pain. He narrowed his eyes slightly as he looked at her. She returned the glare with a confident smile.

"And if you think for one moment that you could get up and move about as you please, before those two days..." Her smile widen as her eyes seemed to glisten in the moonlight. "Then you are wrong. I gave you a small dose of a paralyzing drug. Nothing sever...but you won't be able to move for a couple of days." She turned around and walked towards the door. However before she could reach it, a voice from behind stopped her.

"You went through all of this trouble for me...and you don't know who I am?" He asked in a groggily yet a little surprised deep voice. She closed her eyes upon hearing his voice...he even sounded a little like Sasuke! She really had to laugh at the irony of it all!

"Who you are...isn't important right now. Innocent man or criminal. It's not my concern." She turned her head slightly as she looked back a him...a smirk playing across her pink lips. "As I mentioned before, I'm a med-nin my only intentions are to nurse you back to health. Besides that, I'm also the apprentice of the Fifth Hokage. Being that I've acquired the same strength and knowledge of jitsu's that she knows. So in short if you are innocent, there's no problem at all. If you aren't, don't think for a second that I can't hold my own ground." With that said she turned around and left the room.

The man continued to look towards the door way where the pink haired woman once stood. A small smirk of his own appeared across his face. Maybe he underestimated her. She had more guts then he thought and something told him he hadn't see it all. Maybe after all this, she wouldn't be worth killing. He sighed deeply as he closed his eyes. Some how he couldn't get the picture of her smile off his mind.


	2. Realization

A/N: Well...I had no real plans for chapter. I just went with the flow really. I wanted to break away from the seriousness for just a bit...it'll come back at full speed with in the next couple of chapters. It's quite late too...almost One am. I just really wanted to get this chapter up! Trust me...there's a bit more to the story then what you're getting in the first few chapters! Only thing is that I'm trying to go about this differently then from my other stories. It's a development in progress. Please review! At least 10 for the next chapter to be up!

Also much to my little sister for helping me with this chappie!

Underneath the Cherry Blossom Tree

_By Sailorprincess3234_

_**Chapter Two: Realization**_

Sakura left the room closing the door slowly behind her. She released a breath that she didn't know that she was holding. Her head was spinning. Everything was happening too fast. Never did she intended to share her house with a man for the next couple of days...a complete stranger none the less. Sure she acted tough around him but quite honestly, she was some what nervous...hence the reason WHY she gave him that injection. She closed her eyes as she rested her back against the door. She couldn't get him off her mind. Sasuke that is. And this new guy...there was something about him that just reminded her of Sasuke. No matter what, she couldn't shake it off.

Suddenly she stood up straight and spun around. She couldn't take it an more! She wanted answers! Who was he...what was he doing near Konoha? She rested her hand on the door knob and began to turn it. Once again she held her breath. The door made little noise as she opened it. She didn't hear anything as she walked further into the room. As she neared him, she heard him breathing softly as he breath in and out in his sleep. He was lying on his back so that she could see his face. The moon light continued to cast it's soft glow on him. A small smile appeared across her face as her heart melted at the sight. He looked so innocent, yet so mysterious. She decided to leave him alone so that he could rest. He would be there for a while, so any questions she had she felt she could wait until later on that day.

She quietly walked out of the room closing the door behind her. She then headed towards her room so that she could get ready for work. From then her day passed by quickly...

later on that night

Work was the same as usual, nothing out of the ordinary. By the time she left the hospital and got home, it was dark. Her house was completely dark, since she didn't leave any of her lights on. She wondered about the man she left behind in the room. In the back of her mind she figured that he must have slept the whole day. She placed the keys in the key hole and slowly opened the door, closing it behind her.. Her eyes scanned the area, an uneasy feeling came over her suddenly.. She reached over for the light but before she could flip the switch, she felt a hand resting on top of hers. Her heart jumped to her throat as she let out a surprised scream. Just then, another hand covered her mouth.

"Would you stop screaming? I'm getting a headache!" The voice hissed into her ear. Upon hearing the voice, she stopped screaming. Her eyes widen slightly as she slowly turned around. She couldn't believe her eyes. It was one of those things that only happened in her dreams.

"Sa...Sasuke?" She gasped in surprise as she felt her heart racing.

Upon saying his name, the lights flipped open and she clearly saw the person standing in front of her. It was him! She couldn't believe it at all. She felt the sting of tears at the corner of her eyes. It's been a long time...so long. With out even thinking about it, she thew herself into his arms. Tears that she held back for him started pouring down her cheeks. She felt as his arms wrapped around her holding her tightly. She took in his unique sent as she continued to cry...her body shaking uncontrollably.

The flood gates of emotions just came out at once. As soon as her tears were no more, she felt her body burning with anger and resentment she held towards him all these years. She banged her fist against his chest calling him every sort of name she could think of and in some cases...she lashed out angry words in a different languages (She could currently speak 4 fluently). As soon as all of the anger was out of her system, she held him in a tight embrace whispering how much she missed him and loved him.

All the while, he remained quite. He almost expected for her to have such a reaction. He could remember that night 7 years ago...when she tried desperately to stop him. Back then he knew how she felt towards him. Despite what he said or how he acted, he felt the same way towards her. But he couldn't stay...not when he had so much to accomplish...and if he couldn't do that...then he felt that he wouldn't be faithful to her. Two goal drove him, one of which he recently accomplished and another one he hoped he still had a chance to accomplish. Long ago he choose her and he couldn't picture anyone else in his mind who he could complete that goal with.

"I'm sorry." He whispered softly into her ears. "I didn't mean what I said that night..."

"I know..." She whispered back as she pulled herself away and looked up into his eyes.

They both continued to stair at each other when Sasuke spoke. "Sakura." He said in a soft voice as he placed a hand on Sakura's cheek.

"Yes Sasuke-kun?" She said in a soft voice.

He took a step back and dropped his hand to his side. Sakura gave him a confused look. He looked down and quickly looked back up into her emerald eyes. "I have a favor to ask of you."

One of her eyebrows rose slightly as she tiled her head. "What is it Sasuke-kun? You know I'd do anything for you." She said as she placed a hand on his shoulder.

"Well, as you know, I'm a rouge ninja...so I can't be seen in public. You wouldn't mind if I stayed here with you...would you?" He asked as his onyx eyes seemed to get lost in Sakura's eyes. He really did feel stupid. He always knew that she was beautiful, but now that he was looking at her again...she was even more beautiful then when he last saw her. He silently wondered if after all of these years, she was ever taken or if she was single? He wouldn't be surprised if she were taken...but...stupidly he'd always imagine that she would wait for him for when ever he came back. Such thoughts, he now decided, were ignorant and selfish. If she were taken, then he decided that he would be happy for her and the man she choose to be with.

Upon hearing his question, her eyes widen like two sauce plates. She couldn't believe what she heard! Sasuke-kun...asking if he could live in her house? Her and the man who she's loved all her life...living together...although it wasn't a proposal, it might as well should have been! Never in her wildest dreams did she imagine that her love interest would ask of her such a favor. Although she felt honored, and beyond thrilled, she decided to keep it cool. She abandoned the loved crazed school girl attitude she once had when she was younger. Now she acted much more on the mature side.

Before she could give him her response, a noise was heard from upstairs. Sakura's eyes widen slightly at the sound. _Oh gosh! I can't believe I forgot about that man upstairs! If Sasuke-kun finds out..._

"What was that?" Sasuke asked with a curious look on his face as he made his way towards the stairs. Sakura took quick actions to block him from going further. She had to think of an excuse quickly!

"What was what?" She asked casually with her head slightly tilted to the side.

"There was a noise upstairs." Sasuke said as he looked down at he pink haired woman standing in front of him.

Sakura rose an eyebrow in speculation. "Noise? I didn't here anything What Noise?." As if on que, at the wrong timing, the noise that was heard earlier was now a little bit louder. It sounded like something falling to the ground.

"That noise." Sasuke said with slightly narrowed eyes as he tried to read in between her actions.

Feeling as if she were backed into a corner, Sakura's mind scrambled with excuses that she could give to Sasuke. Feeling slightly pressured, she said the first excuse that came to her mind.

"Oh, that stupid cat must have bumped into something again." She said rolling her eyes as she turned around to head towards the stairs. Before Sasuke could say anything, she added, "Oh...make yourself at home Sasuke-kun...get something to eat...you must be hungry. I'll be right back." With that she ran upstairs leaving Sasuke to watch her retreating form.

_Cat? I thought she was allergic to cats?_ Sasuke thought to himself as his curiosity peaked. He was about to head towards the stairs to follow her, that is until his stomach growled in protest. It has been a while since he last ate a decent meal, he figured he'd ask her about it when she came back down.

In the meanwhile, Sakura ran up the stairs and towards the room where she left the man. The room was dark, save for the moonlight, and the first thing she saw was the man...sitting up on the bed...staring at her. He looked a little more alert then from last night.

"What are you doing?" She hissed out her whisper as she walked towards the man.

"What does it look like I'm doing?" He hissed back, giving her a narrowed gaze.

"What are you doing up?" She asked ignoring his glare. "You should be resting! You are in no condition to be moving around!"

"What kinda medical nin are you? You leave a patient all by themselves all day and you don't leave any food for them to eat? You are a horrible caretaker." He said in a nonchalant matter as he crossed his arms over his chest shaking his head.

Sakura's face fell at hearing what he said...was this guy for real??

"What the heck?! You're suppose to still be knocked out! I gave you enough of that medication to kock you out for 2 days!" She said with a deep sigh as she walked closer to him. Heck, while she's up here she might as well check his wounds and vital signs...just to make sure he was ok.

"Phff" He scoffed. "I'm a quick healer. Plus I'm immune to such medications. As a Med _Nin, _you should know that such a medication can be used in battle...right?" He asked with a smirk and a raised eyebrow.

Sakura was just about to check him before he said that. However, upon saying what he said, she couldn't help but to step back and just look at him. Her eyes narrowed slightly as she looked down at him. "Who are you?" She stressed as she studied him.

"I'm a guest who's starving to death. Go down stairs and get me something to eat." He said with his arms crossed over his chest as he returned her narrowed gaze.

Sakura's mouth dropped open in pure shock as she took a step back. This guy couldn't be for real! However...rather then retaliating, she decided to do as was told. Thing is that Sasuke was still down stairs and she needed to find a way to keep this guy quite in the mean time. She was really starting to regret saving his life.

"Fine..." She hissed. "In the mean time, please stay put and don't make too much noise." As she turned around to walk away, he spoke...much to her displeasure.

"Isn't it too late to have visitors? Who's the man?" He asked bluntly.

Sakura froze in her spot. She couldn't believe what this guy was saying...how untactful could he be?? Feeling her anger slipping, she decided not to respond and to leave the room immediately.

"Don't put poison in my food!" She heard him call out to her.

"AAAGGGHHH!!!!" She growled lowly so as not to have Sasuke hear her. As she headed back down the stairs, she noticed Sasuke sitting on the couch watching some television. His head turned to her direction when he heard her walk towards him. A smile came across his face as he placed his food aside and patted his lap indicating for her to sit on it. She sighed deeply as she sort of plopped onto his lap and rested her head on his shoulder. He wrapped an arm around her.

"How's the cat?" He asked softly.

"Huh? What cat?" She asked in a confused tone as she lifted her head to look at him.

He like wise gave her a confused look. "The cat...you had to go upstairs and check on it..." He said with a raised eyebrow giving her a skeptical look.

Just then much to his surprise, she jumped up from his lap. "Right! I had to get him something to eat!" Without another word, she walked towards the kitchen leaving Sasuke to wonder what on earth was going on with her!

When she came back, she had a plate of food in her hand. Before she could reach the stairs, Sasuke took notice of the plate of food. His curiously grew more.

"That's for the cat?" He asked taking notice of the non cat food on the plate.

Sakura froze in her spot...gosh she was caught! She had to think of something...and quick!

"Eh...well...you see...Kitty...well...he has a unique appetite. He likes to eat human food." Sakura lied.

"I don't think cats can eat human food...that's only dogs." Sasuke said to her, not buying her lie.

Busted. Sakura lowered her head as her mind stained for any excuse...seconds later her mouth open and she experienced what we would call a 'Brain Fart' moment.

"Right...I forgot to mention...Kitty...Kitty is a dog." She said quickly.

Now Sasuke was floored. A dog?! "But I thought..." He began even more confused.

"I have a dog and a cat. Kitty is my Dog and Puppy is my cat. I didn't get a chance to feed Kitty so that's what I'm going to do now." Sakura said while running up the stairs. "Just stay put and watch television I'll be back!" She added.

And for the second time that night, Sasuke was left to watch her retreating form...wondering many many thoughts.

Sakura reached the door of the man's room in no time. She took in a deep breath as she slowly opened the door. He was still sitting were she left him at. Yet again he was staring at her with that smirk on his face. She was starting to hate that smirk.

"Here's you're food." She mumbled as she took a folded tray near the bed and placed the plate of food on the tray.

"It's about time!" He said as he rolled his eyes taking the fork and spoon from her hand. Thankful she hid it in her pocket so that Sasuke wouldn't see it.

"By the way, I hope that you don't mind...but I noticed that you had a mini fridge in the room. I took out a few drinks and noticed that there were a few snacks in it. Although I didn't touch any of it, I'll save it for later on tonight or for tomorrow since I know that you would neglect me again." He said in a plain tone in between bits.

"Why You" She growled through her clenched teeth as she balled up her fist in front of him. "At Lest be grateful I'm giving you something, you ungrateful jerk."

He then ached an eyebrow in her direction as he continued to chew his food, he waited until he finished swallowing before he spoke. "Do you really think that your in any position to call me an ungrateful jerk?" He said rather plainly. "As I recall I didn't ask for your help, you took it upon yourself to take me to your house like I was a wounded puppy, so the way I see it, I'm your responsibility. If you didn't want to take that responsibility then you should have just minded your own business and left me alone." He then paused and gave her a bright smile. "But please, don't mind me, I'm grateful that you had brought me to your house just to drug and abandon me so you could spend sometime with your men, in whom I know you didn't tell that I was here."

Sakura just stood there with her mouth open agape. She didn't know if she should protest or not. In a way he was right but still...he didn't have to say it so bluntly. He seemed to get a bit annoyed by her awkward silence so he spoke.

"Don't stand there with your mouth open like that, it just makes you look more stupid then you already are." He said plainly as he finished his meal and place the tray on the night stand next to him.

At hearing that comment from him, she shook out of her daze and narrowed her eyes, likewise he also narrowed his eyes at her. She then walked over and stood front of him with her arms crossed as she studied his form. She studied him hard and though there was no doubt that he did resemble Sasuke...this guy definitely was NOT Sasuke. This guy was a down right jerk and it seemed that everything he said and did to her was out of sheer spite.

He noticed her studying him for a while and got easily annoyed. He couldn't understand it, no one has ever got under his skin the way she did. It was obvious that this girl had no idea who he was and what he could do to her if he wasn't stick on this stupid bed. He looked into her emerald eyes and felt a smirk crept on his lips, for some unknown reason he really enjoyed ticking her off. He was then brought back to realty when he notice her about to say something.

"You know, that pretty face of yours doesn't suit your rudeness." She said plainly with her arms crossed under her chest.

"Well, your rudeness does suit that ugly face of yours" He retorted "And, your cooking sucks too."

"If you didn't like it, next time don't eat it." She said as she could feel her anger growing and her knuckles cracking under the pressure she was giving them. He noticed her getting angry and tried his best to hold in his laughter.

"Don't be like that, you misunderstood me." He said in a rather kind and innocent voice.

"Really?" She asked with an arched eyebrow "I misunderstood you? How?"

"I really do like your cooking." He said innocently

"Really?" She asked rather surprise as a small smile appeared on her face. "You do?"

"Of Course" He said sweetly with a smile. " I wouldn't pick any other way to die then to eat your rat poison that you call food."

She then couldn't hold her anger in as she clutched her teeth and growled as she picked up the nearest thing to her (a pillow) and held it up over her head.

"SCREW YOU!!! YOU UNGRETFUL JERK!!!" She yelled as she slammed the pillow against his head, unfortunately he saw it coming and blocked the attack. Much to her surprise, he started laughing thus causing her to grow even more angry.

"Why you." She stressed though her teeth.

"Sakura! Are you okay??" She heard Sasuke said from downstairs.

'Oh Crap' She thought to herself. She then turned her attention to the door "I'm fine, I'm coming right."

"Okay." He called out to her.

"I don't have time for this right now." She said as she placed the pillow on the bed next to him and headed to the door. She had her hand on the handle when she heard him call to her.

"You never answered my question." He said in a low tone.

"You never had a question." She said in a low voice with her back still towards him.

"Now I do." He taunted, once again with that smirk on his face. Some how with her back towards him...she could feel it and it only caused her to become even more annoyed...if that were possible at this point.

She sighed deeply. Not that she wanted to know what he had to say...but something told her he wouldn't let it go that easily and rather then having Sasuke coming to inspect what was going on, she might as well let him say his peace.

"Not like I care, but what question is that?" She asked as she rolled her eyes and turned to him. She noticed that he was still sitting up on his bed looking at her. He gave her a serious look.

"Whose the guy?" He asked bluntly

"Why Should I tell you, it's not like your my dad or brother. By sides why do you care?" She said just as bluntly.

"Seeing the kind of person you are, you never know, he's probably a rouge ninja or some kind of criminal and is out to get you are something like that." He said plainly.

She looked at him with a slightly surprised look on her face, but then quickly smirked. "Don't worry, he's not like that at all, unlike you, I actually know him, now, don't worry about me and go to sleep, I fed you and now you have to rest, otherwise you'll never get better."

"I don't feel like sleeping" He said straightforward

"I don't care what you want, when I say sleep, you sleep, now sleep." She said firmly as she placed her hands on her hips.

He stared at her for a good while with narrowed eyes as if he was daring her to do something if he didn't comply to her demand. When he saw that she wasn't going to back down, he gave an a aggravated sigh and flopped back on the bed with his hands behind his head as he turned to his side. Unfortunately he didn't see the smile on Sakura's face.

"Good boy." She said happily as she opened the door and took a step out of the door. "Go To Sleep"

"Yes, Mother" He breathed out sarcastically.

As Sakura closed the door and turned to head towards the door, she nearly jumped out of her skin in fright. Standing right in front of her was Sasuke. He gave her a very skeptical look.

"You're acting very odd tonight." He said while giving her a narrowed look.

Desperately trying to calm her breathing without looking obvious, she said the first thing that came to her mind.

"How long were you standing behind me for?" She breathed out slightly.

A thoughtful look came across his face as he looked down at her. "Not long...just got here. Why?" He asked out of curiosity.

Sakura breath an inward sigh of relief. So long that he didn't see that man...

She shrugged her shoulders as if to brush off the thought. "Oh...it's nothing." Just then, she grabbed his hand and lead him towards the stairs. He followed without hesitation.

Once they reached the living room, both of them sat down on the couch. Sasuke had his arm draped around her shoulder while she restedher head on his shoulder. The two were quite for a moment staring at the fire that Sasuke started in the fireplace. After a long moment of silence, Sasuke spoke up.

"I recently accomplished one part of my goal." He said in a low voice...just above a whisper.

Sakura's eyebrows frowned together as she looked up at him with confused eyes.

"Huh?" Was all that she could say at the moment as she pulled herself away from him to look into his eyes.

He smiled slightly to him himself as he looked back towards her. "I had two goals that I wished to accomplish in my life...and as of last night, I accomplished one of them."

Sakura continued to look at him in puzzlement, so he continued. "I never told you this...but my family and the rest of my clan..." His voice drifted of slightly as he got this distant look in his eyes.

Sakura took in a deep breath. Now she fully understood where he was getting at. "I know..." She said in a low voice. "You're brother...he..."

"For years I wanted to avenge my clan...I wanted to kill him...for the death of so many." He said in a dark voice that slightly frighten Sakura. "So..." He continued after a short pause. "Last night I met that goal. I followed him just a few yards from the outskirts of Konoha."

"The battle was long and bloody neither one of us escaped without any damage...though mine was not as bad as his. I had spent most of the day hidden in the shadows resting. As for him. I dealt him a deadly blow and left him under a large Cherry Blossom tree near a lake, just outside of Konoha." He ended his story with a narrowed look in his eyes. Upon hearing the end of the story, Sakura's eyes immediately widen at the sheer possibility...could it be? The story matched up to what she found. What if she had HIM up there now??

"This deadly blow..." Sakura asked as her heart beat quicken slightly. "Just where was it?" She asked with her head slightly tilted.

"Why do you want to know?" He asked giving her a raised eyebrow.

A pout came across Sakura's face. "Just wanted to know." She said in a nonchalant matter.

"The upper right side of his abdomen." Sasuke said bluntly.

Sakura's eyes widen slightly. There was no mistaken it...the man...that she had upstairs in one of her rooms, was no other then the man that Sasuke intended to killThe sudden realization that she currently had a murder in her house as well as the person to tried to murder that person...also in the same house...came to her as such a shock, that she reacted in the only way anyone in such a situation would react. She fainted.


	3. Moonlight Whispers

AN: Yes I know...It took me FOR.EV.ER. To update this story! But now that that is pushed aside. I really liked writing this chapter. You are going to see both an Itachi x Sakura moment and a Sasuke x Sakura moment. So I'm appealing to both audiences. I hope u enjoy it, and don't forget to review! I hope I didn't lose any fans from the long wait...and thanks to those who have been faithfully waiting. Gomen...I'll try not to do that again!

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto and Co.

Underneath the Cherry Blossom Tree ch. 3

Sakura's eyes opened slowly as she reached up to touch her head. _Oh! My head hurts so much!_ She thought to herself as she sat up. Once her eyes were fully opened, they widen in surprise and shock. Now, she knew she fainted...that was a given. However, she was sure that when she did faint, she was in the living room...so...how on earth did she get into her room?? She looked around and noticed that he was sitting on a chair near her bed. Her mouth hung open in shock...what...how...he didn't find him did he?

"Sasuke?" She began uncertainly. She really was beginning to have a panic attack. What if Sasuke, when coming up here found him...and...and...

Her head was spinning. She didn't need any bloodshed in her house. She started to get up to check when Sasuke stopped her.

"I think that it would be best if you just rest...Sakura." He said calmly as he walked towards her and sat on the edge of the bed taking her hand into his. "It's been a long night...we haven't seen each other in years and it must still be a shock for you...to see me again."

_Actually...it's more along the lines of you and your brother being in the same house that's troubling me more. _She thought to herself as she sighed deeply. "I'm sorry Sasuke-kun. I'm not really handling this well..."

"Don't worry about it." He said with a small smile. "As I said, it's expected. But if you aren't comfortable with me saying here...then I can find another place to stay. If that's what you want."

_'Of course I want you to stay! I've been dreaming about this moment...forever!' _Is what she wanted to say. But...for some reason, even if that man was a wanted criminal and he was the cause of Sasuke's troubles...she couldn't help but to want to protect his safety. Even if she's know him for less then a day...it was a deep feeling that for some reason she couldn't go against. His very life would be in danger if Sasuke found him, so the best way to protect this man...was to push away the only man she's ever loved. Life has a funny way of screwing up moments like this huh?

A frown came across her face as she looked into his eyes. "I..." She began as she looked away. "I'm sorry Sasuke-kun." Her eyebrows scrunched together and her frown deepened as she looked back at him. "I love you." She said as she squeezed his hand. "So much. It's not that I don't...that's not why I'm saying that you can't stay...it's just that..."

"I love you too." He whispered in her ear. He then pull away leaving there faces only centimeters apart. "It doesn't matter why. You have your reasons...but I know it has nothing to do with wither you love me or not..."

"But I've been waiting for this moment for such a long time...I...feel so stupid..." Her words were cut off when Sasuke closed the distance between them with a kiss. It was short, sweet and utterly romantic with only the moon light providing light for the room. When he pulled away, Sakura's eyes remained shut temporally before they fluttered open. Her mouth hung open in surprise as she looked at him. He in turn had a smirk written across his face...but it was a playful one.

"I think I've fallen in love with you all over again." She whispered as she continued to look at him as she touched her lips where she still felt the kiss lingering on.

"I've always loved you." He whispered as he took her chin into his hand. "That's why earlier I was telling you that there was one more goal that I needed to complete. But I need you to help me with that goal."

Sakura's eyes narrowed slightly in confusion. Yes, now that she remembered it, he was talking about that before she fainted. "What's the goal?" She asked out of curiosity.

A smile came across his face at the question he asked her. Once again he leaned in so close that their nose barely touched. He breathed out slowly causing a shiver to roll down her spine. She couldn't help but to smile and her eyes sparkled against the moonlight making it hard for Sasuke not to just throw her on the bed and have his way with her.

"That goal..." He began in a whisper. "Is for you to be the one to bear our children. To rebuild the clan and once again make it a great clan."

Sakura's eyes widen and she nearly fainted again. No...this was different from him asking her if he could stay with her. This was...much more then that. She was completely taken by surprise. Sure she heard him when he said he loved her...and the kiss he gave her made her insides flip. But for him to ask her...to bear his children. He must have seen something in her that was of some value...that was precious...that he wanted his children to inherent. He loved her that much...and who knew how long he much have chosen her. A tear rolled down her cheek...followed by another and another. She was at a lost for words as she threw herself at him giving him a tight hug. He likewise wrapped his arms around her.

"I want to." She whispered. "I want to. I want to. I want to!" She cried even more. Seven long years of waiting. Seven years where so many men would approach her with interest in dating her, even marrying her...and she would push them away. Sasuke never told her he loved her. As a matter of fact, that night, the things he said to her would make any girl think that he hated her. Yet Sakura was smart. She knew him so well and paid close attention to how he treated her. Whenever there was a battle that their team was in, he would make it clear that she had to be protected. He wouldn't allow not even a scratch to brush against her skin. She even remembered that day...when he woke up after getting the curse seal...she was beaten up badly and he took notice of it. She didn't even need to tell him what had happen...and even though she didn't want him to, he ended up breaking the arms of one of the enemy's. Those were just a few examples of times where she thought that he might really care for her.

It took her time...after he left...to figure everything out. She figured that he had something he wanted to accomplish. If she went with him...in her current state...she would have gotten in the way and possibly be killed. If he didn't care, he probelly would have taken her along...wouldn't he? So she made up her mind. She would wait until he came back...because some where inside she knew...that there was something worth waiting for. Now that she was in his arms like this and he had ask her to bear his children...all those years of waiting finally paid off and she couldn't be more happier.

They finally pulled apart. Sasuke gave her a kiss on the forehead before he stood up. She gave him a confused look before he spoke.

"I'll go now. You need to get some rest, I'll come back tomorrow to see you." He whispered as he headed towards the door.

Sakura's eyes widen. She didn't doubt him or anything...but her heart couldn't stand to be apart from him again. She really wanted him to stay! But the thought of that man...still something inside her didn't want him to get hurt. Ah! She was having such complex feelings! How she wished things were more simple and clear cut!

"Where will you go?" She asked with concern, still kneeling on her bed as she looked at him.

He shrugged his shoulders as he looked back at her. "I don't know." Just then a thoughtful look came across his face. "Hey, does Naruto still live in that same apartment building that he did years ago?" He asked.

Now a thoughtful look came across Sakura's face. "Humm...yea...he does. You're going to go and stay with him?" She asked.

A smirk came across Sasuke's face. "Yea...that is if he doesn't try to kill me first. He's probelly holding a grudge that I beat him in that last fight we had..." His voice trailed off as a sober look came across his face. He looked at Sakura with a deep look of hurt in his eyes. He didn't need to say a word for Sakura to know what he was thinking.

"No...he doesn't hate you. You're his best friend. For years...when everyone else gave up, he continued to look for you. I think he might be surprised...like I was. Just expect the same reaction from him that you got from me." She said in an assuring tone.

He released a soft chuckle before he spoke. "He's not going to end up hugging me telling me how much he missed me is he?" He asked with an amused look on his face.

Sakura laughed softly at his question. "Ok...maybe his reaction won't be exact to mine...just similar." Once her laugher died down, a warm smile appeared across her face. "The three of us...Naruto, Kakashi and I...we all care about you. The four of us together years ago...we...were like a family. Just remember that ok?"

He smiled back at her. "Ok. I will." He said as he opened the door. "I love you Sakura." He whispered as he walked out the door closing it behind him.

"I love you too." Sakura whispered as positioned herself so that she was now lying flat on the bed, starring up at the ceiling. She sighed deeply as she turned to her side to face the window. So many things were running through her mind. She just couldn't believe the events that had previously taken place. It was so strange...like a dream. Yet she knew that it wasn't. A smile came across her face. This was really the best night of her life.

A knock came to the door about 10 minutes later. Sakura gasped in surprise. She thought that Sasuke had already left. Was there something he forgot to say to her? Whatever the case, she called out for him to come in.

The door opened and she heard footsteps coming in. Maybe he wanted to stay with her and she decided that if that was the case, she wouldn't protest. She'd let him stay as long as he wanted. When he didn't say anything, she turned around curious as to why he was silent. When she did, her eyes widen. It wasn't Sasuke at all...in fact it was his brother. Her mouth opened as he walked closer to her and sat at the edge of her bed. _What the heck is he doing?_ She thought to herself.

"I couldn't sleep." He whispered as he turned his head to look at her. The look that he gave her was different...somehow.

"So why didn't you just stay in your room?" She asked as slowly sat up to face him.

He looked straight ahead not saying a word for a moment. Sakura was wondering what was going through his head at the moment. She couldn't put a finger on it...but something was different about his attitude. She couldn't help but to feel uneasy and some what relax at the same time.

"Who was the man that was here?" He asked once again as he turned to look at her. The way the moonlight had hit him made him look both mysterious and breath taking at the same time. Sakura was completely beside herself. Where did that come from all of a sudden? Before she could open her mouth to say anything, he answered the very question he was asking.

"It was Sasuke wasn't it?" He asked with slightly narrowed eyes and a dark look to match.

Sakura gasped and he rose his eyebrow, a smirk barely brushing his lips. "He must have told you then...about our fight." He paused as he looked away. A serious tone taking over him. "You could have let him stay. He's your man anyway isn't he? So why didn't you?" He asked as he once again turned to look at her.

Sakura's face scrunched up in perplexed confusion. She closed her eyes as she she shook her head. Why is he so interested in the answer to that question?

"Of what merit is there to knowing the answer?" She asked in a low voice eager to know why he was so curious.

"There is none. Just that if your motives were pure, then I've really mistaken you and...well I would have to have some form of gratitude towards you." He said nonchalantly as he lead back with his hands behind him. He sighted deeply as he tilted his head slightly as he looked up at the ceiling.

"How can I trust that what you say now is sincere? You've been nothing but rude and inconsiderate towards me tonight. All after I put myself at in danger to help you. How was I to know that you were a killer? For all I know, you could kill me now. How do I know if your motives are pure or not?" She countered as she leaned forward, eyes slightly hard as they silently studied him.

"Because..." He said slowly as he got up and walked closer to her. He sat on the edge of the bed where Sasuke once sat. He leaned forward meeting her face and now both faces met just centimeters apart. She drew in a sharp breath at how close they were. She couldn't help but to feel that shutter shot down her spin. Her heart was pounding and she could feel a blush creep up her face.

"Because..." He whispered as he took her chin in his hand. "If I wanted to, I would have killed you a long time ago."

"But I didn't cause...there's something about you that's not worth killing." He whispered in her ear.

Her eyes widen at what he had said. She thought that he was going to pull away and laugh at her about how seriously she was taking his statement. However completely contrary to her thoughts, he pulled away and...smiled at her?! Her mouth hung open and her eyes widen even more. HE WAS SERIOUS!

"Why?" She breathed out. It was all she could say as she continued to look into his eyes. She was in a trance. Just looking into his eyes made her forget about the world around them. She couldn't understand for the life of her why on earth just a few hours earlier she wanted to strangle him and now...she felt somewhat variable just by his mere presence.

"I'm serious." He said, answering her unspoken question. "I'm sorry I was like that with you earlier. But I liked to see you angry...you look so cute. No one as ever gotten under my skin as you have. So I decided to take advantage of the opportunity."

Sakura tilted her head slightly. She should have seen it coming...with this guy there had to be something around the corner. Her face scrunched up in an angry pout. "Is that all I'm good for?" She asked coolly.

He chuckled softly as he pulled himself away from her. She couldn't help but to feel this slightly warm feeling inside her...just by hearing him laugh. Just seeing him laugh made her smile...it reminded her about the way he looked when he slept. There was this somewhat innocence about him...SOMEWHAT...that is until you remember the fact that he's a cold hearted killer. That fact remind in the forefront of her mind...making it hard for her to relax in in the slightest bit.

"What is your name?" He suddenly asked her once his laughter died down.

A surprised look came across her face at the question. "My name is Sakura." She said softly. A small smile slowly appeared across her face.

He likewise offered her a smile. Now she was completely blown away! His smile...was just so...inviting...he...at that moment wouldn't appeared to be the type to kill so many people. It troubled her...why would he do such a thing...

"Sakura-san...Cherry Blossom...kinda symbolic that we met underneath a cherry blossom tree..." He said more to himself. He smiled softly before he turned his full attention back to her. "My name is Itachi." He said as he extended his hand out to her to shake.

Sakura was amazed. This man...who at first was like a thorn to her side...was so polite! She suddenly felt so guilty for thinking so lowly of him. She likewise took his hand and and shook it. She silently hoped that they would get along...no matter what he did in the pass...she figured that was years ago and he must have changed. Only time will tell...she reasoned.

"You're so pleasant once that dirty outside layer has been clean up a bit." She spoke softly to herself.

Itachi rose an eyebrow as a smirk came across his face. "Really? Well...you're a bit rough around the edges at first...but...now you're really cool."

"I was only rough around the edges cause you were testing my patience." She said with a smirk of her own. They continued to stare at each other in silence when they suddenly started to laugh.

"I'm really sorry for earlier...and...thank you..for watching out for my safety. I really appreciate it." He said sincerely as he got up.

Sakura nodded her head as she looked up at him. "Ne...Itachi-san...can I ask you a question?" She asked softly. Itachi stopped half way betweent the door and bed.

"Hum?" He answered as he turned to face her.

Sakura looked down as she swallowed hard. Maybe she shouldn't ask. It was in the past and all...and she figured it was none of her business. Even Sasuke didn't go much into it...so why would he? But just remembering his smile...and the way he laughed...and the way he looked when he sleeped...it was hard for her to put the two together. So in the end...she really wanted to know...even if the answer proved to be to disturbing.

"Why...did you..." She tried to find the words...but everything felt too foreign for her to utter. How can one talk to someone else about a tragedy like that? "To your clan that is..." She found the words...but they still made her feel this heavy weight on her heart. So much in her life happened revolving around this...so maybe..even if she wasn't directly affected like Sasuke...because he suffered, she suffered also. "You owe me that much!" She found herself crying out, startling both herself and Itachi in the process.

"How do I..." He began but she cut him off.

"Sasuke." She whispered. She looked up at him with tears in her eyes. Why she was crying now...she didn't fully understand. She thought that all the tears had gone but there still remained a few. "He suffered so much. Even if he did love me...that had to be pushed aside until he was through completing what he felt he needed to complete. I was so angry with him...so hurt. It was selfish of him and cold hearted to say the lest. So I want to know from the source of his pain...anguish...and determination. Why...did you do such a thing?"

Itachi looked back at her with an unreadable expression. No one...had ever asked him such a question. He wasn't prepared to answer to anyone for his actions. Yet now...here he stood with that very question befalling him and he was at a lost for words. _Why did I do it? _He asked himself. _My reasoning so long ago...was firm..I clutched tightly to that belief that I now can't even see. Was it something that I held so strongly that's completely illogical now?_

"I..." He started softly when he finally came up with an answer. "I...can't answer that now. I'm sorry." He whispered as he turned around and headed out the door without saying another word. Sakura was left to watch the spot where he once stood. More and more tears falling down her her cheeks. Itachi stood outside her door, hearing her sobs. He closed his eyes. Why...was he being so affected by this girl tears? That was the past past wasn't it? He did what he felt he had to do. There was no consequence or anyone to answer to...besides Sasuke himself. Then another question dawned on him, why did he allow Sasuke to live? Was he that cold hearted and that selfish so as to involve his then 9 year old brother in his crime? Why...just why was this girl making him feel so much regret and guilt over something that happened more then 10 years ago?

As he continued to rest his back on that door...something unexpected...even for him happened...one tear fell down his cheek.


	4. Torn Emotions

A/N: smiling gleefully I love this chapter. I honestly think that as each chapter goes by it gets more and more intense! I really do have to thank all of you. I love to check my inbox and see all these review from you. It really makes my day! So keep the reviews coming and I'll keep the chapters coming. .

Please enjoy this chapter...there's an Itachi and Sakura moment here for any fans of this parring. Did I mention it's getting hot in here...no...I didn't?...oh...ok...oh...right...that happens later eyes widens Oops! I almost gave away the ending! looks around and whistles Well...what are you doing? Stop reading this and get on with the story already...you wanna know what happens don't you? Don't forget to review!

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto...Naruto belongs to it's respectful owner. Darn it!

Underneath the cherry blossom tree ch. 4

Naruto woke up to a knock on his front door. His eyes opened slowly as he looked at his alarm clock. 12:30am it read. He sighed deeply as he turned back to his side. However, the knocking became more and more persistent and to top it off, the bell started to ring, which only annoyed Naruto. Finally admitting defeat, he got up and staggered towards the door. He reached the door, letting out a yawn before opening it. He wanted to yell at the culprit, however he was simply too tiered to bother.

He opened the door wide and for the first time got a good look at his visitor. Upon seeing them, it took only a fraction of a second to recognize who it was. Immediately he was wide awake. His bottom jaw dropped as his eyes widen in shock.

"Oh crap!!" He shouted as he pointed to the man.

"Shut up Naruto." Sasuke sighed in annoyance as he rolled his eyes, arms crossed over his chest. He should have known Naruto would have this reaction. He was just glad in was the middle of the night. He didn't want to think what would have happen if it were day time. "Are you going to let me in or not?" He asked.

Naruto blanked a few times…finally regaining his composure. He then took a step to the side allowing Sasuke to walk in. Once inside, Sasuke took the time to get a good look at his surroundings as Naruto closed the door behind him. When he turned to look back at Naruto, that's when he noticed the immediate chance in his attitude. Naruto gave him the most deadliest look that he could muster which in turn had send a slight shiver down Sasuke's spine. He closed his eyes…bracing for the attack.

"What are you doing back here? I thought we weren't important enough for you." Naruto growled through clenched teeth.

"I'm sorry." Sasuke said in a low voice as he opened his eyes once again to look at him.

Naruto nodded his head, the look on his face never once changing as his arms were now crossed over his chest. "Right. Like I'm going to take a simple 'I'm sorry' and brush it off." He began sarcastically. "Do you realized how you're actions have affected us? Sakura-chan…Kakashi and I? So many of us risked our lives looking for you and when everyone gave up…I continued to search for you…not only for my sake…but for Sakura-chan as well." He shook his head as he laughed bitterly. "Do you even know how much she loves you? For seven years…she resisted every man that asked her out. She had so much faith that you would come back. Not even knowing if you felt the same way."

"Did you go out with her?" Sasuke suddenly asked. Naruto's eyes widen from the sudden question. A sad look shot across his eyes for a split second before they harden again.

"Once again, I could never compare to the great Uchiha." Naruto said bitterly. "I love her so much…you know that? Always…but she's always loved you. Even when you left, I thought that I might have a chance…but she resisted even me. That's one of the things I love most about her. How strong her faith could be under trials. You'd be lucky if by now she hadn't given up on you."

For the first time since Sasuke arrived, a smirk came across his face. Naruto noticed this and intestinally became curious. As if to answer his unspoken question, Sasuke spoke up. "I was just at her house." He said.

Naruto's eyes widen upon hearing this. "Really?" He asked.

Sasuke nodded his head. "Yep…and according to our conversation…she's still very much in love with me as I am with her."

BAM! His lower jaw dropped. "You are?!" He gasped.

"I always have been. I just had a few things I needed to accomplish. I didn't want anything to happen to her…or to you. Remember when I told you…that time you were fighting Garra…how special both of you are to me?" He said, his voice more softer.

Naruto tilted his head as a perplexed look came across his face. Once all of his words sank in, the look on his face soften dramatically. But there was one more question he had to ask…just to confirm. "So…are you finished. Did you complete everything that you wanted to? Because if you leave us again…I won't hesitate in killing you." He said firmly.

"No..." Sasuke said in an assuring tone. "I will not leave you guys like that ever again. I promise."

That statement was enough to bring a warm smile to Naruto's face. He walked up to his long lost friend and….gave him a hug. Sasuke could vaguely remember Sakura saying that this would happen. Next time he wouldn't listen to her when it concerned Naruto's reactions…he made sure to make a note on that.

"Get off me dobe!" Sasuke growled as he pushed Naruto from off him. When he took a step back, both guys were silent for a moment before busting out in laughter.

"Welcome back man." Naruto said as soon as his laughter died down. "Welcome home."

"Well…I was getting around to that part…" Sasuke said once his laughter died down, a serious look now claiming his features. A curious look came across his friend's face so he continued. "You see…Sakura…she couldn't let me stay with her for one reason or another. I didn't bother to ask. So I was wondering if I could stay with you…seeing as I have no where else to go."

"Sakura wouldn't let you stay with her? That's strange and she has that house all to herself…." His voice trailed off as a thoughtful look came across his face. He shook his head dismissing the thought as he looked back at his friend. "Well…yea…I don't mind if you stay here. I mean…if you don't mind sleeping on the couch that is."

"No…I don't mind. Thanks, Naruto." Sasuke said as he walked over to the couch.

"Don't worry about it," Naruto said as he turned to head towards the closet, grabbing a blanket and pillow as he headed back to the living room. "I mean, you won't have to stay on the couch forever. I have a guest room, but it's really messy right now…." His voice trailed off he walked back to the living room and noticed Sasuke had already fallen fast asleep on the couch. He couldn't help but to laugh softly at the sight. He shook his head as he placed the cover over him. He figured he'd have the whole day later on to catch up on stuff.

Next morning at Sakura's house…

It was the smell of the smell of coffee that woke her up that morning. Wait…coffee??!! The pink haired woman suddenly shot up with a dazed look on her face. What the heck? She thought to herself as she got up and went to her closet to get a robe to wrap around her. She then exited her room and headed towards the kitchen where the smell was coming from. Upon reaching there, she just about got the shock of her life.

There was Itachi standing by the stove cooking away. So far she saw that the table was set for two…with a couple of roses in a vase…in the middle of the table. She saw that he had a stack of pancakes already made and a pitcher of orange juice was sitting on the table. As she walked closer to him, she noticed that he was working on the eggs, but he had finished with the hash browns and bacon. She continued to look in amazement.

"Good morning, Sakura." He said as he turned back to look at her. A soft smile was spread across his face.

"Oh…good morning Itachi." She said softly as she continued to watch him cook. After awhile, he was finished and transferred the eggs on to the plates. He then finished off by placing the hash browns and bacon on to the plate. He then placed the pancakes on the table, taking the syrup from the fridge. Sakura was just blown away by all of this treatment. She was just thankful that she had the day off to enjoy this…otherwise she'd be rushing just about now, since it was well after 8am.

"Please sit down." Itachi said politely. Sakura being lost in her thoughts, didn't realize that Itachi was now behind her, holding out the chair for her to sit on. Silently she walked over to him and took her seat. He then pushed her chair towards the table before sitting down himself.

"Itakimasu." They both said before digging in.

Once Sakura started eating, her eyes widen. His cooking was so good! She truly was impressed now. "Wow…Itachi…where did you learn to cook so well?" She asked with out really thinking about her question.

Itachi was silent for a second as he swallowed his food. "My mother…she was an amazing cook. I remember watching her every night as she got dinner ready for us. She even allowed me to help at times." He said in a low voice. Sakura was able to see a distant, sad look in his eyes. A sobering look came across her face. She realized the kind of question she asked…and more importantly to whom she asked the question to.

"I'm…I'm sorry." She said in a low voice as she looked away from him.

"No. Don't be." He said firmly which brought her eyes back to him. The look he was giving her was serious. "Please…don't be. It's just that…last night I thought a lot about what you said. I didn't get much sleep over it…"

Sakura's eyes widen in pity. "Oh…Itachi…" She began, but he cut her off.

"It was the first time anyone had question me about my actions. I didn't know how to respond. Quite truthfully, my actions never seemed to bother me…until I saw you crying and I heard what you said. It was then I felt this huge guilt hang over my heart…it was so intense that…I wanted to die." He paused as he shook his head, a smirk playing across his face. "I was right in what I said last night. I don't know how you do it, but you really do get under my skin."

Sakura remained silent as she smiled. "Is that a good thing or a bad thing?" She asked.

Itachi laughed softly as he nodded his head. "It's a good thing…don't worry. It's just that…no one…has every cause me to really think about my actions…no one has affected me as much as you have and we don't know each other. I remember…a long time ago…before Sasuke and I went to sleep at night my mother would tell us a bed time story." He paused as a distant look came across his eyes as a smile formed across his face. "It was about a king who was good at first. Pretty soon he thought too much of him self and because of that everyone in the village suffered. One day as he was walking through his garden, he noticed a very beautiful girl. Being as haughty as he was, he demanded to know what she was doing, wondering around in the gardens. Her only response was that she was captivated by the roses and she wanted to smell them. She then turned to smile at him…which in turn blew him away…for no one had truly smiled at him like that. With that she turned around and left with out another word.

He was so captivated by this girl that he decided that he wanted her. So he send out his men to go and get the girl for him. They did as was told, but when they came back, they told him that the girl refused. Shocked that someone would actually refuse him, he demanded that his men go and get her again. Once again they left to get her and once again they came back empty handed. They told the king that she said that if he really wanted her, that he would have to come and get her himself.

The king was both shock and impressed with her response. So immediately him and his men went into the village to find this girl. Upon reaching the village, the king saw for the first time how poor his people was. What's more was that when they finally found the girl, he learned that she was the poorest out of all the villagers and that she was blind. She told him that for him to step down from his thrown and to step into reality was the very first step in humbling one self. She then added that because he had done that, it only proved how much he loved her and what he was willing to give up…for her. From that day forward, she became the new queen and he became a kinder king and the two worked to make the village as rich as it used to be years ago."

Sakura listen quietly as he told the story and by the time he finished, she was crying. Itachi couldn't help but to laugh softly at the sight. A pout came across her face as she finally found her words.

"That was such a beautiful story!" She cried out.

He nodded in agreement. "Do you know why I shared that story with you?" He asked.

Sakura shook her head no, so he continued. "You…are like that girl who opened up the kings eyes to his error and I'm like that king. You…opened up my eyes to my errors….you humbled me. That's the same thing that happened with the King and the girl. In turn….although in directly, he affected her. But she wasn't bitter to that. If anything she helped him…without knowing who he was. And because of that…he became a changed man. I want to become a changed man because of you Sakura. I want to be the kind of man that would one day be worthy…of you."

Sakura's eyes widen when he said that. She was really surprised that he held her in such high regards. But…she was able to see where he was coming from and it truly made her happy that she affected him in such a positive way. She was speechless…to say the lest. When she found her voice, she said the first thing that came to her mind. "Thank you."

Itachi tilted his head slightly in confusion, so she continued. "For you to humble yourself…to want to change because of something I said. Thank you for taking my words into such high regards. To conceder them that important that you want to change." She paused as her eyes widen by a sudden thought. "But what…about that group that you're with?" She asked as she looked at him with widen eyes.

Quite honestly, he didn't expect her to bring that up. He looked at her with shock written across his face. A sad look came across his face as he looked down. There was a long pause before he finally looked back at her. This time with a determend look on his face. "I have so much that I have to thank you for. So it would be pointless for me to have admitted to my errors and to return to the only place where I could do more harm then good."

A small smile came across Sakura's face. She couldn't believe it. Here was the man she heard so much horror stories about…sitting in her kitchen…a changed man….all because of something she said in one night? Truly if she told anyone, they wouldn't believe it and she was still having a hard time believing it and she was sitting right in front of him. The rest of the breakfast went by silently with the two of them talking about different parts of their lives. Sakura was amazed by the stories he would tell her and he listen with intensity to the stories that she would tell him.

That whole day they talked and in that one day they covered a life time in stories alone. By the end of the day, Sakura knew so much about Itachi and likewise for him. She was shocked none the less. She never bonded with anyone like she had with Itachi, in such a short period of time. By night, it was apparent that he was well enough to leave, which in turn sadden Sakura that she was losing a friend.

She walked with him back to the very spot where they met only a couple of days prior. As they stood under the tree, Itachi took her hand into his. She blushed at that mere touch as she looked up into his eyes.

"I don't want you to leave." She whispered as she felt a few tears rolling down her cheeks. Why was she crying? She vaguely thought to herself.

"I don't want to leave you either." He likewise whispered as he moved his hand to place under her chin. "But I have to…there's something that I must do first before I could ever come back." Just then he paused as he reached for something in his pocket. When he pulled it out and opened his palm, a shocked look came across Sakura's face. In his palm was a diamond ring.

"This ring belonged to my mother and it was passed down from her mother to her. For generations it was passed down to the women of the clan who were to wed the eldest in high family. This ring…is worth more then you can imagine. Actually at best I would say that it's priceless. I'm going to give this ring to you. As a promise that I will be back. By the next full moon, come back to this very spot at this time. I'll be waiting for you." He said in a soft voice that seemed to be caught up in the breeze that suddenly brushed against them.

"What if you don't come back?" Sakura wondered aloud as she continued to look up at him.

A small smile came across his face. Suddenly, he pulled her face close to his so that it was only a few centimeters away. Without another word, he closed the distance between them with a kiss. Sakura's eyes widen in pure shock, but instead of resisting it like her mind was screaming for her to do, she instead wrapped her arms around and returned the kiss…deeply. She didn't know why…none of it made any sense to her at all. She never felt like this towards anyone before…not even…Sasuke. Just then her eyes widen in horror at what she was doing. She pulled herself away from Itachi immediately. He was kind of shocked by her sudden movement and just gave her a confused look.

Tears started to roll down her cheeks as she looked back up at him. It was official. Her heart was torn. This man in front of her held an equal spot to Sasuke in her heart. With her emotions solely guiding her, she walked back towards him and wrapped her arms around him. Her green eyes locked with onyx and she slowly lowered his head down to meet hers. She then gave him the most passionate kiss that she could muster. Maybe…it would be the last time she could kiss him like this. Although she knew in the back of her mind there was Sasuke, she couldn't help but to be attached to the man in her arms right now…Itachi.


	5. Betrayal

AN: Here it is...the long awaited fifth chapter...thought now that think about it, I wonder if anyone is going to kill me after reading this? I will warn you...Naruto may be a bit out of charter in this chapter...for a very good reason if you look at the bigger picture. Personally, I wouldn't really blame him for how he acted...but...too much can be bad ne? Ok! I said tooo much!! Please read and let me know what you think. I changed the plot around a little bit, and now...well...I'm not going to say much...but this chapter is only the beginning of what's in store. Oh...just to let u know. I don't know how many of you have read my fanfic "Sakura's Admire" But as I've mentioned before, I have the radio play up. Well, Probely next week or the week after, I'm going to put up a special...and that special would be a radio play of my other fanfic called "Underneath the Stars". So if you are interested in checking that out or my other radio play, my sn at youtube is Akiny82

Disclaimer: Unfortunately I don't own Naruto...but if I did, I would have already gotten to the fight between Itachi and Sasuke (Damned fight between Jirayira and Pain!!!!!!)

Underneath the cherry blossom tree ch 5

The next month came and went quickly. Both Sakura and Sasuke grew accustomed to meeting after sunset since no on except for Sakura and Naruto knew he was back.. Although she was with Sasuke, a and was completely happy, in the back of her mind her thoughts contently turned to Itachi.. She remembered that last night they were together. She remembered the kiss they shared and subconsciously her fingers touched her lips. Although at the moment of the kiss, she didn't think too much of it, now she was having second thoughts. She took a good look at herself in the mirror. She wore a pair of distressed flairs and a white boat neck sweater with a pink tang top under neath. Her hair was in loose curls and she wore light make up. She took a look at the clock on her night stand . it was currently 20 minutes to midnight.

"Well…here goes nothing" She whispered to herself as she grabbed her pink princess pea coat and left the house.

15 minutes later Sakura reached the spot where they promised to meet. What she saw when she approached the tree, what she saw shocked her.

"How….how long?" She gasped.

Itachi, who was sitting at the base of the tree with his head down, looked up at her. When he saw her, his eyes widen and he jumped up.

"Sakura-chan!" He called out with a warm smile as he walked towards her. It was then that she noticed what he was wearing. He no longer had the cape identifying him with Akatuski. He wore dark jeans, a black sweater with a black leather jacket over it. His hair was styled the same as before.

"Gomensai….Itachi-kun….I didn't mean to keep you waiting." She whispered as she looked up at him.

"Really I waited a long time? It felt like only seconds to me." He said in a thoughtful tone as he looked up at the sky. He then looked back down and placed a hand under her chin, raising up her head. "So please, don't be sad on my account. I'm ok as you can see." He said softly with a smile.

It didn't take long before a smile of her own crossed her face. She nodded her head in agreement as she spoke. "Thank you, Itachi-kun." She whispered.

"Your welcome." He paused for a second as he looked around then looked back at her. "Well, I don't know about you, but I figured that we could walk around and talk."

Sakura's eyes widen slightly as she vigorously nodded her head and started to walk with Itachi at her side. For a moment, there was a pause on her part before she she spoke up and said the first thing to pop up in her mind.

"Let's go back to my house." She said suddenly. She turned just in time to see Itachi's eyes widen and a slight blush creep across his cheeks. At first she didn't understand why he gave her that look, but soon enough it clicked and she too began to blush. A playful scowl came across her face as she gave him a light punch in the arm. " Get your head out of the gutter." She said plainly.

"Hey! I wasn't thinking about that." He cried out in his defense. At that same moment, a sly grin came across his face as he added. " Though I wouldn't disagree if you were up to it."

"Pervert!" Sakura cried out as she went to punch him again, but at the last second she manged to dodge the attack as he ran ahead of her. Sakura blanked her eyes a few times as she looked at the spot where he once stood and where he was now running off to.

"Fast!" She gasped as she started to run after him with a smile on her face. For a little while they ran towards the village laughing like little kids running across a field of wild flowers. It was a scene that was care free and alive. Almost like the calm before a storm. The worries of that day or any others for that matter were in the far corner of their mind as they lived in the moment.

As they continued to run, Sakura cried out as she tripped over the root of a tree. Itachi turned around in the time to see her fall to the ground. A frown crossed his face as he rushed to her side.

"Are you ok?" he asked as he knelled down beside her, placing an arm around her shoulder.

Sakura looked up with a pained look on her face. "Ow…" Was her response as she looked down at her feet and then back to Itachi. "My ankle, I think I…" She closed her eyes as she hissed in pain.

"I'm sorry Sakura-chan." Itachi said softly as he looked at her wondering what he could do to help. Just then the obvious hit him like a ton of bricks. Very carefully he placed his arm under her knees and supported her back with his other arm. Sakura gasped as he lifted her and carried her bridal style.

"Itachi-kun!" She whispered as she looked up at him with widen eyes.

"Don't worry about it. It's my fault that you got hurt. Just tell me how to get to you house and I'll take care of everything." He assured her with a warm smile. Truth be told, she was really beginning to love those smiles.

"Thank you." She whispered with a small smile of her own. She then proceeded to give him the directions to her house. During the walk home, they continued to talk and and laugh about other things. It didn't take long before they were right in front of her house. Though it was a bit tricky, he manged to open the door and walked up the stairs to Sakura's room.

"Why don't you get ready for bed while I go downstairs and fix us something to eat." He suggested as he gently placed her on the bed.

She looked up at him with guilty eyes as she pouted. "This is enough. I'm so sorry, I invited you to come over so that I can make you something and here you are doing so for me. You don't-" She was interrupted when he placed a finger to her lips.

"…I don't have to, but I want to. Don't worry about it." He said softly as he placed a soft kiss on her forehead.

"My little cherry blossom." He whispered as he looked at her eye leveled. He looked at her intensely for a moment. She looked into his eyes, she could see that it looked like he wanted to say more but he didn't. "I'll be right back ok?" He said as he stood up straight turning around to leave the room.

Meanwhile….

"I hope Sakura-chan wouldn't mind the sudden intrusion." Naruto thought out loud as he approached the house. He paused before the closed door suddenly having second thoughts.

'But if I do and she gets pissed, she'll give me a punch so hard that not even the chakra I get from the kyuubi will even heal it!'

He sighed deeply at the thought. Ever since she started her training with Tsunade, learning how to control her chakra, her punches became even more powerful from when she was younger. True it was something that was helpful when you were in the middle of a battle with an enemy…but not when you're a certine bonded Ninja.

"Well, what can I do?" This can't exactly wait and I was already out." He convinced himself as she subconsciously reached for the door handle and turned it. His eyes widen in surprise when he opened it. He knew Sakura well enough to know that she'd never leave her doors or windows unlocked. Even though she was a powerful shinobi, she was still a woman living alone and choose to take precautions.

Fearing the worst, he stepped into the house carefully. It didn't help to ease his worries when he noticed that the house was dark and quite. As he made his way further into the room, he heard noises coming from upstairs. He breathed a sigh of relief when he head footsteps coming down the stairs. He reached out for the lamp on the nearby table and turned the lights on.

"Gomen Sakura-chan. I don't mean to startle you. Your door was opened and I was…" His words trailed off when he looked towards the staircase and saw that the person currently frozen in place, like a deer staring at headlights speeding towards them….was NOT Sakura at all."

"Who are you?" he asked with narrowed eyes as he looked the person up and down. He took cautious steps towards the person never once taking his eyes off him. The person continued to remain silent not once moving from his spot. As Naruto approached closer, it was then that he suddenly remembered who this man in front of him was. There was no mistaken it. He met him on a number of occasions. He was part of a group that was after the kyuubi inside him. The one man that caused his best friend so much suffering and the very man responsible for killing his whole clan in one night…

"Uchiha…Itachi." Naruto growled as his eyes turned red with anger.

Silence. Itachi knew who the blond in front of him was. He was the very kid who he sort after all those years ago. He could feel the murderous intent coming from him and he didn't seem to flinch one bit.

"Where is she? What did you do to her?" Naruto hissed as he continued to stair at Itachi with narrowed eyes.

"She's upstairs, in her room…" Itachi begin. He would have warned him about Sakura changing, but the blond haired young man ran up the stairs past him towards her room. When Itachi looked back at the spot where he once stood, he was shocked to see his clone looking up at him with those same cold eyes.

"You're not going anywhere." He said in a deadly tone. Itachi simply sighed as he sat on the stairs, not wanting to put up a fight he knew he wouldn't win.

"Sakura-chan!" Naruto cried out as he ran towards her room and flung the door open. Sakura gasped in shock when she saw Naruto standing at her door. He in turn stared at her in shock. She wasn't prepared for his arrival and was currently sitting on her bed with nothing but her bra and underwear on, her change of clothing beside her, hidden from Naruto. She was too shocked to even scream or yell. A deep blush came across his face as he suddenly turned around.

"G..g…gomen Sa…Sa…Sakura-chan." He stuttered as thoughts that shouldn't even cross his mind crossed his mind.

"Na…Naruto…wha…what are you doing here?" Sakura asked nervously as she looked at the blond haired young man in front of her. By now she had quickly put her cloths back on. Her heart was beating quickly and the blush was still on her face.

He took a risk to look back at her and sighed with relief when she finally had cloths on. As soon as he did that, his look changed from embarrassment to a very, VERY peeved look. Sakura flinched at that look….did he know? She silently wondered.

"How could you?" He began in a cold voice filled with anger. "How could you sleep with THAT man!"

Sakura's eyes widen in shock and confused. So Naruto did find out! But what shocked her even more was that he actually thought that…

She shook her head as she looked at him. "No…no we didn't….how could you think that I would do such a thing?" She asked.

"Geez….let me think for a moment." He began sarcastically. "How could you have that man in your house to begin with?!"

Sakura's eyes widen even more. She never saw him THIS ticked off, with her of all people. How she wished he wouldn't look at her with those cold eyes as if she committed a terrible crime. She thought of her next words very carefully. "Naruto…please…It's not what you think. I invited him to come over and on the way home, I tripped over a root of a tree and he just carried me home since I twisted my ankle." She took in a deep breath after her explanation. For a moment the tension was so thing she felt as if she were suffocating from lack of air. She thought that may be her explanation would calm him down a bit, any attempts to calm him down flew right out the window when he spoke up.

"YOU WHAT??!!" He nearly screamed in anger. Her lips trembled in fear as she pushed herself further up on her bed. A single tear rolled down her cheek. She didn't like him like this…not one bit.

"Na…Naruto…you're…you're scaring me." She whimpered as she continued to cry.

At seeing that, his eyes widen slightly. Sure he was upset at her, but…now he realized that he might have gone a bit too far. His face soften up as his eyes returned to their normal blue color. "Sakura-chan…why? Why would you do that…to Sasuke?" he whispered as he walked towards her bed and sat on the edge of it. He turned his head to look at her and saw that she still looked like a frighten little girl. "I'm sorry for scaring you like that." He added softly.

"I…I didn't want you to find out cause I knew that you'd react like this…." She said softly as she slowly inched her way towards him carefully. She now sat right next to him with her fingers interlaced and resting on her lap.

"When did you too meet?" He asked as he looked straight ahead, not really wanting to look at her.

"A month ago…the same night that Sasuke-kun came back." She answered softly.

"So that's why you send him over to my place, so that you can allow him to stay here?" He asked, a hint of disgust in his voice.

"No!" Sakura cried out in her defense. Naruto turned to look at her with a skeptical look on his face. She frowned as she looked down. "It's not like that at all…" She said softly. " I didn't know…I really didn't know until that night." Naruto gave her a look that said he didn't fully get where she was getting at, so she continued. "A month ago I got up early in the morning, like I usually do. I went to my usual train spot on the outskirts of the village and trained there. When I finished, I noticed a body laying underneath the cherry blossoms tree.

I walked closer and noticed that he was covered in blood and uncontentious. He was near death. The next thing I knew, my medical instincts took over and I just HAD to heal his wounds. So with out another thought, I took him home. That day I went to work as usual and when I came home, that's when I found Sasuke-kun. Almost at the same time Itachi-kun woke up. Honest Naruto, I really didn't know who he was at this point!

He was a real jerk towards me. I hated him so much but at the same time some where deep down I wanted to make sure he was ok. About that time, I found out who he really was from what Sasuke-kun was describing about his fight with him. So subconsciously I wanted to protect him and encouraged Sasuke-kun to stay with you. The next day we spend the day together talking and learning so much about each other. He ended up gaining respect for me because of the night before." She paused as she turned to look at Naruto who continued to look at her all the while listening to what she had to say. "That night when he left, I felt as if a really close friend was leaving me. I was so said…but then he made a promise with me to meet with me under the same tree…tonight….at midnight. Then to cover any doubts I had, he gave me this…."

She turned to her desk draw and pulled out a small object. Naruto tilted his head in confusion and Sakura turned back to him, showing him the small object in her hand. He looked at it with widen eyes. "That ring…" He gasped.

Sakura nodded her head as she felt a tear roll down her cheek. She didn't know why she was suddenly crying but she was. "This ring belonged to his mother and it was given to her from his grandmother. He gave it to me…as a promise…that he would return." She once again paused as she bit her lower lip, trying to stop the tears that wouldn't stop. "Naruto…he…I…I thought the same way you do about him. But at the same time In noticed that he could have killed me at any moment. But he didn't and when we spoke…I could hear the guilt in his voice about what he did. He really did change Naruto, he's not the same person. He…he even left Akatuski!"

For a moment he sat there in silence. Sakura wanted to know what he was thinking and wished that he would speak up already. However, when he did she almost wished that he remained silent.

"Listen," He stared in a cool tone as he looked at her with disapproving eyes. "Usually it's me who sees the good in other people and I stick to that belief and I'm usually right. However, there are times when I'm wrong. He may act all nice and trustworthy now, but what makes you think he doesn't have hidden plans? What proof do you have that he really changed his ways?" He paused as his eyes narrowed. "Tell me Sakura-chan…do you love him?"

Sakura's eyes widen at his bluntness. Her eyes widen at his question and even at her answer. After a minute of thinking it over, she nodded her head slowly. She looked up in time to see Naruto's eyes widen in disbelief. An angry look came across his face as he jumped up and looked down at her. Once again she shivered in fear at that look.

"I don't approve of this at all!" He shouted. "How can you fall in love with the enemy? How could you love someone who has caused pain for one person you claimed to love all your life? Or someone who was out to kill you best friend? Don't you get it Sakura?!" She felt a tug at her heart when he dropped the suffix. "You're just a pawn in whatever sick game he's playing!"

"It's not like that! Not at all, you have to believe me! Itachi-kun isn't like that at all!" Sakura cried out, equally upset now.

Naruto's eyes widen at her out burst. "You're defending him?" He gasped in disbelief. His face once again set to anger as he spoke. "Tell me something Sakura, who will it be…this man who you claim to love or your friends and your boyfriend? Cause I can speak out for everyone and tell you one thing. If you don't disown your feelings for Itachi, I promise you I will make this matter to Tsunade-baa-chan…about you being a traitor of this village."

Sakura's eye widen in horror at his ultimatum. He couldn't be serious…could he? She knew that as a Ninja he knew well what the punishment of being a traitor was. Her heart nearly stopped. No way this could be NARUTO standing in front of her. NO WAY!

"Na…Naruto…you…couldn't be serious…could you? You…you don't actually mean that you'd ratter see me dead if I decide not to listen to you…right?" She asked softly as she looked up at him with sadden eyes.

For a moment he remained silent as he thought of his answer. When he spoke, her sense of dread deepened. "You betrayed me, you betrayed Sasuke and everyone else in this village…by allowing that man to stay in this house." Was all that he said. At hearing this, something stirred with in Sakura and for reasons she didn't fully understand, she stood up and walked over towards Naruto slowly…all the while her anger building up. Once she stood in front of him, she slapped him hard across the face. He stumbled back from the hit but once he regained his balance, he did something that she would NEVER, EVER forget. He slapped her across the face so hard, that she fell to the ground. When she fell to the ground, it was as if her heart fell too and it shattered into many broken pieces. She looked up as she released a loud pained sob. She looked up at him with confused, pained eyes but she didn't get a soft look she was so accustomed to. For the first time in her life, she saw nothing but hate in his eyes towards her.

"If you choose him, then I will no longer consider you a friend, or a shinobi of this village." With those last words, he spun around and left the room, leaving Sakura to cry on the ground. Minutes later, she heard a loud slam of the front door. Just then, her door opened slowly to reveal the one person who at that moment she both wanted to see and didn't want to see.

"Sakura…chan…:" He said softly as he stood by the door.

"Please…just go." She whispered as she didn't bother to look up at him.

"But I…" He cut off when Sakura stared to yell.

"I SAID TO GET OUT!" More tears rolled down her cheeks as she continued. "I love you! I cant' believe that I actually love you! It was unexpected…and it happened so suddenly. But I can't help it. I love you…and I also love Sasuke-kun. But…you…" She looked up at him with tear filled eyes. "If I continue to love you, I'll lose everything…even my life."

"I heard what he said." Itachi whispered as he walked closer to her. He knelled down by her and for a moment hesitated before held her in his arms. Completely weak from her tears and stress, she collapsed in his arms crying even harder.

"I…I love you too….by little Cherry Blossom." He whispered in her ear as he continued to rock her in his arms. "I'm sorry that I'm the cause of all of this mess."

"No, don't be." She whispered softly as she returned his hug. "Naruto…he's just…" Her voice trailed off as she though of their conversation. She honestly understood where he was coming from, but at the same time felt that he was being to harsh with his demands.

"He really loves you, you know?" Itachi spoke up. Sakura gasped in surprise by his words as he continued. "He's you're best friend right? He's just very concerned."

"I understand that." She said in a harsh tone as she looked up at him with a hurt look. "But he went too far! The price for betraying the village is death….I…I can't believe that he would rather have me dead if I choose you!"

"Do you want to?" He suddenly asked. Sakura looked up at him with widen confused eyes. He smiled softly as he kissed her on the forehead. "Do you want to be with me?" He asked again.

Sakura gasped in shock by his question. She didn't know why he suddenly asked, but she said the first thing that came in her mind. "Of course…you're special to me…I don't want to lose you."

There was a moment of silence as he stood up. His back was facing her as he walked towards the door. "Then we should leave…it would be dangerous if you stay and I come to visit. There really is not other choice if you want to be with me." He said in an informative tone. He turned to look back at Sakura and saw that she was still looking at her from her position on the ground. A thoughtful look on her face….subconsciously she wondered why would even THINK of such an idea. But she recalled the look on Naruto's face and the seriousness of his words. It was true that she loved Sasuke, but she couldn't help to be attracted to Itachi more. A smile came across her face as she finally gave him her answer.

"When do we leave?" She asked.


	6. Missing

**Author's Note:** Wow. It's been a little more then a year huh? Lately I've been cranking out one story after another. I'm trying, while I have the time to do so, to update on most of these stories. I hope I've still got some readers out there who haven't given up on the story. Though I have a feeling this will be the case for most of my stories . But for those of you who's stuck around this long, thanks from the bottom of my heart. It's so hard to balance work and a life and be a writer at the same time. But it's rather fun making up a story and seeing what others think about it. So without further ado...enjoy! Don't forget to review...I love those little things! =D

**Disclaimer:** Don't own Naruto and ever will.

**Underneath the cherry blossom tree ch 6**

Naruto sighed deeply as he sat on the swing near the ninja academy. It was his go to place when he needed to think and after all that had happened tonight, he needed to think. It was so bazaar what had happened. To him it was almost like a nightmare what with slapping his best friend and simply saying he'd rather see her dead then for her to side with a well known murderer. Which when he thinks back on it, all around the whole situation seemed weird. The more he thought about it the more it seemed to be a twisted love triage out of a movie script. When he really thought about it, he couldn't be entirely upset. His reason behind it was that Sasuke isn't innocent either. 7 years ago he decided to leave the village for his own selfish reason regardless of what it was and about 12 years ago Itachi killed off all but his own brother.

He looked down at the ground as he thought about Sakura. He knew her since they were kids in the academy. He knew how she had a hard shell but was soft on the inside. Her being a mid nin was the perfect match for her. She was such a compassionate person, enough that it wasn't hard to believe that she'd bring a total stranger to her house to aid them back to health. And it's also likely that she didn't know that he was a wanted murderer. However, he couldn't excuse her for when she found out who he was and simply hid it from him. Of course hiding it from Sasuke was an obvious, but him? Why would she hid something like that from him? Truth be told, that's what upset him the most. It was almost like she didn't trust him when for 7 years, heck even longer then that, he's had her back and risked his life for her. The next thing that upset him was how in a sense she threw away her feelings for a man she knew almost all her life in place for someone who she's know for a month or rather a day and a half. He seriously wondered where her sense of logic went. She was smarter then this and he knew that. So how could she let her emotions get the better of her?

He had to chuckle softly at that thought. He wasn't exactly a role model. How he handled the situation was a prime example of what not to do. Words couldn't express the guilt he had for hitting her and for basicly saying he'd rather see her dead then to be with Itachi. He knew she'd be pissed with him. He half expected for her to even talk to him again. He looked up at the sky and sighed deeply. There was no way he'd be able to sleep to night without at least trying to right his wrong. Even if she didn't want to hear a peep from him it was probably better for both of them. With much thought to it, he decided to head back to her house. Sure it was late, but he had a feeling she wouldn't be sleeping. If anything he knew that when she was really upset she wouldn't sleep.

It didn't take long before he made it back to he house. He wasn't surprised when he saw the lights off except for the lights in the living room. He figured that she'd be down there drinking a cup of tea and reading a novel that took her months to complete. It was about the only time she'd read, when she couldn't get any sleep or if she was upset, she'd pick up a book and read. He approached the door and unknown to him he suddenly had an uneasy feeling. His eyebrows frown together in confusion. He couldn't explain it but it was rather unsettling. Not wanting to waste a second more, he reached for the door handle and again found it easy to open. Left with more questions then answers, he opened the door slowly, half expecting for her to be sitting on the couch and yelling at him for suddenly coming in. but that's not what happened. As a matter of fact, when he opened the door he found no one at all in the living room.

Even when he called out for her he received no response and that of course caused his heart beat to quicken with worry. He checked all the downstairs room including the basement, then he went upstairs and checked all the rooms including the attic. By this time he was in a panic. Not only was she missing, but some of her possessions were also missing and to make matters worst, what nearly make him break down was that Itachi was no where to be found either. He ran out of the house looking all around the outside for any signs of her or Itachi. Yet despite the little hope he was trying to cling to, he knew his worst nightmares has finally become a reality. Sakura ran away with a well known murderer who was part of a group of criminals who was after him to steal the nine tales. Yea...just about nothing could get worst then that. His eyes widen in horror when he realized that he spoke too soon. First off, Sasuke would realize something was up and if he found out that Sakura ran away with his brother...heaven help that girl for Sasuke's fury against her would be just as bad as it would be against his brother.

Not only that, but if she really did runaway she'd be considered a missing nin and the punishment for missing nin's were not to be taken lightly. So he was half wondering if he should involved Tsuande. He held his hand against his head as the world's largest headache affected him. He was at a lost at what to do and he felt a large amount of guilt for the last words he said to her. What if he never saw her again? There was only one person he could think of that could possibly help him. Kakashi.

Kakashi had just gotten to sleep after a restless night when there was a knock to the door. He sighed deeply as he turned to look at his clock by his bed. It was almost 2 in the morning. The only times when there was a knock to his door this early in the morning was when it was like a national emergency. Completely awake now, he jumped out of his bed and headed towards the door. When he opened the door, he saw a familiar blond with a panic look across his face. This took Kakashi back cause normally if it was a matter or war or something similar, he knew Naruto was well accustom to the ways of a ninja life, so relaying such a message wouldn't deliver this kind of reaction. No, the only way that he'd have this kind of reaction is if it were personal. And if it were personal, it most likely had to do with...

"What happened with Sakura?" Kakashi asked calmly as he allowed the young man to enter his house.

"She...She's..." Naruto was looking down at the ground trying to get his words together. He knew what he wanted to say but just saying it out loud only made it real and he was desperately hoping it was just a horrible nightmare. He then looked up at his former teacher with all seriousness. "She's been kidnapped. Sa...Sakura-chan has been kidnapped." He said as calmly as he could muster.

Kakashi just looked at Naruto for a second with a blank look on his face. After a few seconds thought, it hit him like a ton of bricks. His visible eye widen and a look of alarm shot through it. "What do you mean she's been kidnapped Naruto?" He knew Naruto was a prankster, but he also knew too well that he wouldn't joke around about something like this...especially at this time.

Naruto relayed everything that had happened earlier that night. He even told Kakashi everything that Sakura told him about how she came across Itachi. Of course, he hid the fact that Sasuke was back so as not to complicate the situation. When he finished, Kakashi gave him a blank look. He found the story unbelievable, however again he knew that Naruto wouldn't lie or make joke of something as serious as this.

"I see.." He said in a low voice. He didn't say anything more as he turned around and walked back to his room. Naruto was confused for a moment before Kakashi came out again this time fully dressed.

"We must address this to Tsuande right now." He paused for a moment as he gave Naruto a serious look. "Are you sure you told me EVERYTHING?" He questioned the young man before him.

For a split second, Naruto couldn't get where Kakashi was going with that question. Not thinking much into it, he nodded his head "Yea, I told you everything that I know." He replied as he like wise gave him a serious look.

Kakashi nodded his head and they both left his apartment to head towards the hokage's castle. It didn't take long before they were they were waiting inside her office for the guards to get her. Not long after their arrival, a sleep Tsuande walked into the office and took a seat at her desk. She yawned loudly as she propped her elbows on the desk and rested her head against her open palm.

"This had better be important." She grumbled in a low voice as she looked at the two men before her.

Kakashi stood up and was the first to speak. "It is Tsunde-sama. It is to be believed that Sakura was kidnapped by a member of Akasuki."

At the drop of a dime, the sleep vanished from Tsuande and she was instantly wide awake. Her eyebrows frowned together as she tried to make sense of the situation. "What do you mean it seems as if she were kidnapped? Either she is or she wasn't, which is it?" She demanded as she shot up from her seat eying the two men dangerously. To be told so suddenly something like this about her student, someone who she's watched grow up, It was almost like a mother hearing that her own child was missing.

Kakashi sighed deeply as he told the fifth Hokage what Naruto had told him. When she questioned Naruto if that story was true, he told her that it was. By this time she was left with much confusion. "I've known Sakura for a long time. Setting aside her obvious feelings for Sasuke Uchiha, I couldn't really phantom her suddenly switching her emotions for the other Uchiha." A puzzled look crossed her face as she thought aloud. "Either she was forced to leave with him or she went of her free will. Either way we must find both of them and bring them back here. I can't make any judgments as to wither or not she's a missing nin. Until we know for sure, we will treat this as a kidnapping case."

She looked over at Kakashi, "Kakashi, I want you to go to and gather together a small team, I want you to get Hinata and Shikamaru. Brief them on the mission I'm about to tell both of you. And likewise Naruto," She turned to look at the young man. "I want you to also gather together a small team. I want you to get Neji and Ino. Inform your teams that Sakura has been kidnapped. I want you to gather as much information from surrounding villages of their where abouts. They shouldn't have gotten too far. This will be a four day mission. Relay all your findings to me when you return. If by chance either of you are to find them during this time, you are immediately to capture them at all cost. Be sure not to harm Sakura. You both have 45 minutes to get your team and things ready. You are dismissed."

Both Naruto and Kakashi bowed and headed out the room. Once outside, it dawned on them the seriousness of the mission at hand. Kakashi closed his eyes for a second before speaking. "7 years ago it was Sasuke, and now Sakura?" He shook his head as he looked down at his former student. "We'll meet at the east gate. I'll get both Hinata and Neji you get Shikamaru and Ino." With a nod of his head, Naruto went in the direction of Ino and Shikamaru's apartment while Kakashi went in the opposite direction towards the Huuga's mansion.

Ino being the light sleeper she was, heard banging on her door. She turned to her clock and saw the time. It was almost 3am in the morning. The loud snoring coming from next to her made her frown. She envied how her husband was such a heavy sleeper at times. The banning on the door continued she jumped out of bed and grabbed her robe. It had better be important for someone to be banging down at her door so damn early in the morning. She sighed deeply and opened the front door ready to tell off who ever was on the other side. When she saw Naruto standing at her door with a serious look on her face, all anger seemed to flee from her. A startled and confused look crossed her face.

She pulled at her robe covering herself from the slight chill outside. "Naruto, what's wrong?" She asked unsure if she wanted to hear it or not.

Naruto swallowed hard. He knew that both Sakura and Ino were close. Years ago when they were younger, they had some disagreements, perhaps cause both of them were in love with Sasuke. However when he left the village and she saw how much it tore Sakura apart, she pushed aside her differences and since then the two of them went back to being the best of friends. About 3 years ago Ino and Shikamaru started to date and the two had been married for 2 years now.

"Ino, um..." Naruto sighed deeply as he looked at his friend. He decided there was no other easy way to say it so he went out with it. "Sakura has been kidnapped. As per Tsunde-baa-chan, I'm to get you and Shikamaru. We're to meet at the east gate in 40 minutes."

Ino looked at Naruto blankly. Even she knew that he'd never joke around about something like this but she had to reply over and over what he had just said. Sakura, her best friend, kidnapped? By whom? When? How? Questions upon questions swarmed the blond's head as her eyes widen. She nodded her head and slowly closed the door. Walking back to her room to wake up her husband. She felt a hot tear roll down her cheek which startled her. Walking over to Shikamaru's side of the bed, she shook him roughly as was the only way to wake him up.

"Honey!" She called out to him, a little more panic then she intended to sound. "Wake up! We have to go!"

The said groggy man slowly opened his eyes and looked up at his wife. "What time is it?" He moaned sleepily as his eyes tried to adjust to the now bright room.

"Sakura had been kidnapped. We have a mission and are to be at the east gate in less then 40 minutes." Ino informed her husband as she quickly got dressed and gathered her equipment.

This bit of information proved to jolt the young man wide awake. Sakura was also a good friend of his. It stunned him to hear such news. "What?" He cried out as he got out of bed and started to get dressed himself. "Who told you this?" He asked as he looked over at his wife.

"A few minutes ago Naruto came to the door. Gosh, I wonder how he's holding up? He's been in love with her for so long..." Ino's voice trailed off as she sat on the edge of the bed putting on her shoes and tying up her holster holding her weapons to her leg.

Shikamaru shook his head as he spoke. "I don't know. But he has to put that all aside from him now. The mission is more important then his feelings."

Ino wanted to say something against that, but she knew all too well that he was right. As a ninja it was taught at an early age that you're emotions should never cloud your mind especially when going on missions. For if you allowed your emotions to over take you, you risk may things going wrong including the endangerment of yourself or your team mates. It didn't take long before the two were dressed, ate a light quick breakfast and was ready to go. Since they lived closer to the east entrance, they arrived before anyone else did. Finally after about 10 minutes, all of them were gathered together at the entrance.

Kakashi was the first to speak. "Let me brief you on the mission." He began eying each of the young shinobi's before him. "A few hours ago Naruto discovered that Sakura was holding Uchiha Itachi in her house. There was an argument between the two and he left. When he returned, he discovered that Both Uchiha Itachi and Sakura were missing. We are looking at a kidnapping case. As per Tsunde-sama, we are to travel to the surrounding villages and gather information on their where abouts. Also if we are to find them during the four days we are on this mission, we are at all cost to capture Uchiha Itachi but must refrain from causing any harm to Sakura."

He paused as he took in a deep breath. "The two teams will be headed by Naruto and myself. On Naruto's team will be Neji and Ino and on my team will be Hinata and Shikamaru." He looked over at Naruto. "Naruto, your team will handle south and east of Konoha where as my team will cover North and west of Konoha. Once the mission is completed, we are to return whatever gathered information to Tsunade. Any questions?" He looked at the group before him.

For a moment everyone was silent as they looked at Naruto. Feeling all the stares, he tried his best not to show how uncomfortable it made him feel. With no one asking any questions, the two groups went their own ways. It wasn't long after they were traveling before Neji spoke up.

"I don't understand. What would cause Sakura to keep that man in her house? I know her to be much more smarter then that." He shook his head as landed on the branch of one tree and jumped to the next one. Naruto was silent for a moment before he answered his friend's question.

A frown crossed his face as he spoke. "Even I don't know how to answer that. All I know from what she told me, is that last month she found him near her training spot and saw that he was badly injured. She said that she didn't know who he was and it wasn't until later that she realized who he was."

"But this was a month ago right? What was he doing at her house tonight? By this time I'd assume that she'd know that he's a wanted criminal. Why didn't she inform Tsunde-sama?" Neji questioned.

Naruto held his breath not looking back at his friend. He remembered Tsuande mentioning that they had no proof that Sakura left on her own free will. So they had to look at this as a kidnapping case. "We need to look at this as a kidnapping case. Sakura is one of our finest shinobi's. Don't question her loyalty to her village." Naruto said in a dark tone that he didn't intend.

Ino looked over at her friend as she had a slight shock look on her face. She was listening to the conversation. To her it didn't seem that Neji was implying anything negative, just that he was asking a simple question. Even she was wondering the same thing. But it would never cross her mind that her best friend would purposefully leave the village with a known murderer. The whole notion was unthinkable to her.

"Naruto, I don't think Neji meant anything by his question. Even I wonder the same thing but I couldn't think twice that she'd betray any of us. She's not like Sasuke." Her eyes widen at her last statement. She bit her lower lip looking at the blond in front of her. She expected for him to say something, be he said nothing at all. A frown crossed her lips as she looked down. "Naruto...I..."

"No. Don't be." He said softly as he continued to jump from branch to branch. "I understand what you mean."

Not another word was said among the three of them as they traveled to the the first of many villages. Neji had his bakugan activated and he scanned the area for any familiar chakra. By this time, the sun was starting to rise casting an orange glow on their surroundings. By mid morning they arrived at the first village. It was a quarter of the size of Konoha and seemed to be mostly a farm village. They decided to split ways to question the villagers.

Despite the village being so small, they had several stores and restaurants. Luckily for Naruto their was a raman shop and he decided that while questioning, he'd have a nice bowl or two of raman. He didn't have much breakfast and was quite hungry.

"Good morning!" He greeted the shop keeper as he entered the raman shop. The middle aged man behind the counter looked up to see his first customer. He nodded with a smile as Naruto took a seat at the counter.

"Good morning, would you like to try the shops special this morning?" He asked politely as he handed Naruto a menu.

"Sure! Two bowls please!" Naruto said with a smile.

The man gave gave him a smile as he shook his head. He turned to the back counters and he prepared the meal. "So, you're visiting from out of town I see." The man started casually as he poured a cup of green tea and handed it to Naruto.

He took the tea with a nod of his head and a smile as a thank you."Yea, I am." He said as he took a sip of his tea. "But it's just for the day thought."

"I see. Well I hope you enjoy your stay here. We don't get that many visitors." The man said as he poured the first bowel and handed it to Naruto.

A thoughtful look crossed the man's face. "Actually, on second thought, we did receive a visitor early this morning. A young couple I think."

Naruto nearly choked on his food when he heard this information. Trying to act casual, he looked at the older man. "Really? Do you know what they looked like?"

The man thought for a second before he spoke. "Well, I only saw the girl. We had a nice conversation, said something about her partner taking care of something so she was just waiting for him." A smile crossed his face as he had a far away look. "Such a sweet young lady. Reminds me of my daughter. About the same age too."

Just as Naruto was about to ask what she looked like, A bell chimed signaling that a new customer entered the shop. Naruto continued to eat his food as the new person sat a few feet away from him. The shop keeper leaned over the counter and whispered to Naruto. "If you want to know what she looks like she's sitting right over there." He pointed out as he nudged his head in the direction of the new comer. Naruto's eyes widen as he turned to look at the new comer and at the same time they looked over at Naruto. Green eyes locked with surprised blue eyes.


End file.
